DECLARED AGAINST INFANT BAPTISM FROM BEING RESTORED TO THEIR LIVINGS. It is somewhat a matter of surprise THAT ANY BAPTISTS were found in the churches when this is considered. THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY referred to completed the business of ejectment; for after it passed there was not found any person wнHO REJECTED THE Baptism of Infants continued in the Establishment.* Carrying out the spirit of the laws enacted at this time against those who dissented from the religion of the state as by law established, it is recorded that in 1664 the persecution of Dissenters at Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, was so violent that two large houses WERE TURNED INTO PRISONS, to make room for the sectaries, as the county gaol would not hold the numbers that were committed; THEIR GOODS WERE CONFISCATED, and their persecutors intended, if possible, to get THE PENALTY OF BANISHMENT OR DEATH inflicted upon them, according to the 35th of Elizabeth. "Of these there were twelve persons, ten men and two women, all Baptists, who had been taken at their meeting in or near Aylesbury; and having been legally convicted of the same three months before, they were now brought before a Bench of Justices at their QUARTER SESSIONS. They were then required either to conform to the Church of England, and take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, or to abjure the realm as this law directed; and were assured, that if they refused to do either of these, SENTENCE OF DEATH should be passed upon them!"+ It would appear that to a great degree the spirit of "Bloody Mary" existed at this period-the fire and faggot only were wanting. In the same year (1664) an act was passed for suppressing SEDITIOUS CONVENTICLES, as they were termed. "The preamble sets forth that the sectaries, under pretence of tender consciences, at their meetings had contrived insurrections; and the act declares the 35th of Elizabeth to be in full force,-which condemns all persons, refusing peremptorily to come to church, after conviction, TO BANISHMENT; and in case of return, TO DEATH, WITHOUT BENEFIT OF CLERGY. It enacts further, that if any person above the age of sixteen, after July 1st, 1664, shall be present at any meeting, under colour or pretence of any exercise of religion in other manner than is allowed by the liturgy or practice of the Church of England, where shall be five or more persons than the household, shall, for the first offence, upon record made upon oath under the hand and seal of a Justice of Peace, suffer three months' imprisonment, or pay a sum not exceeding five pounds; for the second offence, six months' Ivimey, vol. 1, p. 329. † Ivimey, vol. 1, p. 336. imprisonment, or ten pounds; and for the third offence, BANISHMENT TO SOME OF THE AMERICAN PLANTATIONS FOR SEVEN YEARS.”* Such were the measures enacted to retard the progress of religious freedom, both in sentiment and action. It will be seen what were the various means and devices employed for the purpose of carrying on religious worship by Dissenters in this reign, whether by Baptists or Puritans. "The Dissenters continued to take the most prudent measures to cover their private meetings from their adversaries. They assembled in small numbers-they frequently shifted their places of worship, and met together late in the evenings, or early in the morningsthere were friends without doors always on the watch to give notice of approaching danger. When the dwellings of Dissenters joined, they made windows or holes in the walls, that the preacher's voice might be heard in two or three houses. They had sometimes private passages from one house to another, and trap doors for the escape of the minister, who went always in disguise, except when he was discharging his office. In country towns and villages they were admitted through back-yards and gardens into the house, to avoid the observation of neighbours and passengers; for the same reason they never sung psalms, and the Minister was placed in such an inward part of the house that his voice might not be heard in the streets. The doors were always locked, and a sentinel placed near them to give the alarm, that the preacher might escape by some private passage with as many of the congregation as could avoid the informers. But notwithstanding all their precautions, spies and false brethren crept in among them in disguise; their assemblies were frequently interrupted, and great sums of money raised by fines or compositions, to the discouragement of trade and industry, and enriching the officers of the spiritual courts."+ THE CONVENTICLE ACT not being sufficiently rigorous in its provisions against Dissenters, their enemies determined to harass them still more by the aid of the legislature, their obtaining what was entitled "THE FIVE MILE ACT;” and “it will amaze all posterity,” says Neal, "that in a time both of war and of the plague, and when the Nonconformist ministers were hazarding their lives in the service of the poor distressed congregations of London, the Prime Minister, Lord CLARENDON, and his creatures, instead of mourning for the sins of the nation, and meditating a reformation of manners, should pour out all their vengeance upon the Nonconformists, in order to make their condition insufferable." * Ivimey, vol. 1, p. 355. † Neal's Puritans, vol. 5, p. 19. THE FIVE MILE ACT passed by the Parliament at Oxford to restrain Nonconformists from inhabiting corporate cities or towns, and prohibiting any minister from coming within five miles of any city or corporation under severe penalties, unless they would take the prescribed oath, received the royal assent 31st October, 1665. The preamble to this act recognised as usual the existence of schism and rebellion; and, to provide against these evils, it declared, "That divers parsons and others in holy orders, not having subscribed according to the act of uniformity, have taken upon them to preach in unlawful assemblies, and to instil the poisonous principles of schism and rebellion in the hearts of his Majesty's subjects, to the great danger of the church and kingdom,-Be it therefore enacted, that all such Nonconformist ministers shall take the following oath :'I, A B, do swear that it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take up arms against the King; and that I do abhor that traitorous position of taking up arms by his authority against his person, or against those that are commissioned by him, in pursuance of such commissions; and that I will not at any time to come endeavour ANY ALTERATION of government in CHURCH or STATE.'-And all such Nonconformist ministers shall not, after the 24th of March, unless in passing the road, come within FIVE MILES of any city, town corporate, or borough, that sends burgesses to Parliament, or within five miles of any parish, town, or place, wherein they have, since the act of oblivion, been parson, vicar, or lecturer, or where they have preached in any conventicle, on any pretence whatsoever, before they have subscribed the above-said oath before the Justices of Peace at the Quarter Sessions for the county in open court; upon forfeiture for every such offence of FORTY pounds, one-third to the King, onethird to the poor, and one-third to him that shall sue for it. And it is further enacted, that such as shall refuse the oath aforesaid shall be incapable of teaching any PUBLIC or PRIVATE SCHOOLS, or of taking any boarders or tablers to be taught or instructed, under the penalty of FORTY pounds, to be distributed as above. Any two Justices of Peace, upon oath made before them of any offence committed against this act, are empowered to commit the offender to prison for SIX MONTHS without bail or mainprise.”* This savage law met with great opposition in the House of Lords, particularly on account of its enforcing so unreasonable and unnatural an oath. The Earl of Southampton, Lord Wharton, Lord Ashley, Bishop Earl, and others, spoke vehemently against it; the first of whom declared, not only that he could not take the barbarous oath * Gough, vol. 2, p. 148. himself, but that "no honest man could take it."* Nevertheless the madness of the times, and the great power and influence of the court bishops, prevailed against all reason and humanity. The chief promoters of this act, by whose superior influence it was carried, were the Lord Chancellor Clarendon, Archbishop Sheldon, and Bishop Ward, with "ALL THAT WERE THE SECRET FAVOURERS OF POPERY."† The great body of Nonconformist ministers refused to take the prescribed oath, choosing rather to leave their habitations, their relations and friends, and all visible support, than to destroy the peace of their consciences. Those ministers who had some little estate or substance of their own retired to some remote or obscure villages, or such little market towns as were not corporations, and more than five miles from the places where they had preached; but in many counties it was difficult to find such places of retirement, for either there were no houses untenanted, or they were annexed to farms which the minister would not occupy; or the people were afraid to admit them into their houses, lest they should be suspected as favourers of Nonconformity.‡ The sufferings of Dissenters were very great at this period. This general reference is made to shew the grievous annoyances to which Baptists, in common with other Dissenters, were exposed to in the exercise of their religious worship. In 1670, such was the continued inveteracy of the ecclesiastical rulers of those times against the frequenters of "Conventicles," that ADDITIONAL CLAUSES to the act of 1664 were passed, the "Five Mile Act" being considered inoperative to prevent the assembling together of those who had conscientious scruples against the forms of worship by law established. This bill was the cause of incredible hardships to all the Nonconformists, and many of the Baptists suffered severely by it. It was now enacted as follows:-"The preachers or teachers in any conventicle shall forfeit twenty pounds for the first, and forty for the second offence. And also those who knowingly suffer any conventicles in their houses, barns, yards, &c., shall forfeit twenty pounds. Any Justice of Peace, on the oath of two witnesses, or any other sufficient proof, may record the offence under his hand and seal; which record shall be taken in law for a full and perfect conviction, and shall be certified at the next Quarter Sessions. The fines above mentioned may be levied by distress and sale of the offender's goods and chattels, of any other person or persons who shall be convicted * Life of Baxter, part 3, p. 3. of having been present at the said conventicle, at the discretion of the Justice of Peace, so as the sum to be levied on any one person, in case of the poverty of others, do not amount to above ten pounds for any one meeting. The constables, headboroughs, &c., are to levy by warrant from the Justice, and the money is to be divided, one-third for the use of the King, another third for the poor, AND THE OTHER THIRD TO THE INFORMER OR HIS ASSISTANTS, REGARD BEING HAD TO THEIR DILIGENCE AND INDUSTRY IN DISCOVERING, DISPERSING, AND PUNISHING THE SAID CONVENTICLES. The fines upon ministers for preaching are to be levied also by distress; and in case of poverty, upon the goods and chattels or ANY OTHER PRESENT; and the like UPON THE HOUSE WHERE THE CONVENTICLE IS HELD, and the money to be divided as above. "And it is further enacted, that Justices of the Peace, constables, headboroughs, &c., may be warranted with what aid, force, and assistance they shall think necessary, TO BREAK OPEN AND ENTER INTO ANY HOUSE OR PLACE where they shall be informed of the conventicle, and take the persons so assembled into custody; and the LIEUTENANTS, OR OTHER COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE MILITIA, may get together such force and assistants as they think necessary to dissolve, dissipate, and disperse such unlawful meetings, and take the persons into custody." To ensure the strict execution of this act, it was added, "That if any Justice of the Peace REFUSE TO DO HIS DUTY in the execution of this act, HE SHALL FORFEIT FIVE POUNDS.*" While these oppressive measures were pursued, and the nation in general was immersed in vice and irreligion, London was visited by the plague, which at that time is said to have been the most dreadful within the memory of man. In 1666, in addition to the terrible calamities of the war and the plague, the city of London was laid in ashes by a dreadful conflagration. In 1672, there appears to have been a disposition with the King to grant SOME INDULGENCE to Nonconformists. That portion of the >declaration more particularly applying to Dissenters is as follows: "That there may be no pretence for any of our subjects to continue THEIR ILLEGAL meetings AND CONVENTICLES, we do declare that we shall from time to time allow a sufficient number of places, as they shall be desired in all parts of this our kingdom, for the use of such as do not conform to the Church of England, to meet and assemble in, in order to their public worship and devotion, which places shall be open and free to all persons. * Ivimey, vol. 1, pp. 362-4. |